Month: August 2010

Alexandre Aja’s remake of the Roger Corman/Joe Dante/John Sayles original Piranha (1978) is most everything it promises to be, and unlike so many re-makes of horror films of late (A Nightmare on Elm Street [2010], My Bloody Valentine [2009]), it refreshes the content rather than just regurgitates it.

Awesome 2—Awesomer: This is the second of an anthology series put together by the hosts of the podcast Indie Spinner Rack, and it’s just bursting with great stories from a stunning line-up of creators.

Suite Arrival, Michael Lewis’ burgeoning business, aims to replace the hassle of packing for trips (whether business or leisure) with the convenience — and pleasure — of having custom-prepped kits containing toiletries, beauty products, and even snacks waiting for the traveler on arrival at his or her hotel. A “sweet arrival” indeed . . . and an experience that Lewis insists carries a huge emotional tie-in.

Channeling comic books, video games, anime, manga and riffing off pop culture elements from music, film, television, and everywhere, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is one of the most visually inventive films in a long time.

Anyone with an Internet connection can find Santa Barbara’s Susan Torrey and her venture, GirlSunday Designs. Torrey’s Etsy store opens her to a consumer base beyond Santa Barbara, and increases the viability of what is currently a part-time, home-based business. But for those who’d prefer to observe the quality of GirlSunday’s handcrafted, kid- and family-focused products up close, they can certainly do so locally.

As expected, the crowd drank the Kool-Aid with great enthusiasm, questioning nothing, with a few vocal dissenters resisting the idea that their lives held no meaning. Some people had hunched forward, their head in their hands, crying uncontrollably, while others looked elated, as though all their burdens had been lifted.

Bobgar Ornelas not only draws the ‘Apocalypse…Meh’ comic, he kicks it old school, producing the mini-comic “b-one.” While we wait for ‘Apocalypse…Meh’ to come back from temporary hiatus, we caught up with the man behind those decapitated heads and goat-hoofed secretaries.

We had an opportunity to speak with Freddy Sarkis, a well-known and well-respected mixologist out of Pittsburgh. He recently teamed with World Barista Champion Mike Phillips to create a cocktail in honor of National Coffee Month. We explore what goes into a master mixologist’s thought process when given such a task.

When The Grapeseed Company needed more space for its business, founder Kristin Fraser Cotte was surprised to find that the price difference between warehouse space and retail space wasn’t too far off. That revelation helped lead to the next iteration of this Santa Barbara-based skincare and beauty products business.